BlogWhy More Men are Seeking Plastic Surgery

It seems that every advertisement for anti-aging or cosmetic procedure centers around women and the issues they may notice as age creeps up on them and affects their face and body. What advertisers are forgetting is a growing demographic that may also be curious about what they can do to offset the effects of aging – men. Men are often equally concerned with the changes brought on by age – wrinkles, sagging, bulges that won’t budge through diet and exercise, or weight gain in new and embarrassing places.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than 200,000 men underwent a surgical procedure to address an aesthetic issue in 2016. That doesn’t seem like a lot, and in fact compared to the amount of women who underwent procedures, men only make up 13 percent of the number of total plastic surgeries. However, this number is up since 2015, and continues to rise.

Gravity and Age: Enemies of Youth

Perhaps the reason that men don’t seek out cosmetic surgery is that they don’t know what is available that can fix the issues they’re experiencing without making them look feminine or that they’ve had “work done.” At South Shore Plastic Surgery, we understand that there isn’t a one size fits all approach to aesthetic procedures – for example, a facelift on a man is performed differently to ensure that their facial hair growth continues to look natural, which is obviously not a concern for women. One similarity they do share, however, is that men and women are both victims of gravity and age, something we can address for you at South Shore Plastic Surgery.
As we age, we notice a variety of changes in our bodies. For men, it often seems as if your ears and nose are changing, and it almost looks as if they are getting bigger. This isn’t really the case, instead, we can blame the combined effects of age and gravity. Two of the essential building blocks of our skin and cartilage are collagen and elastin. These proteins keep our skin strong and supple, and our faces full of youthful volume. As we age, the collagen and elastin production slows, the existing proteins start to break down, and your skin starts to succumb to gravity. This is the case with the cartilage found in your ears and nose. They’re not growing larger, they’re simply drooping.

How Can South Shore Help?

At South Shore, Dr. Vasisht performs a variety of procedures that can help you in your fight against aging. We offer the following procedures, which are also the top five surgeries most requested by men nationally:

Rhinoplasty (nose reshaping) – Rhinoplasty is a surgery that can rejuvenate your sagging proboscis and restore your more youthful profile. It can also repair any damage due to injury, and is sometimes an effective solution for sleep apnea (due in part to a deviated septum).

Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) – It has been said that the eyes are the windows to the soul – but they also show the first signs of aging. Along with wrinkles and crow’s feet, you may experience bags under your eyes, drooping eyelids, and excess skin in both the upper and lower lids. Besides being a cosmetic concern, in some cases it can cause vision obstruction and constant eye irritation. Blepharoplasty can remedy those issues, leaving you with brighter, younger looking eyes.

Otoplasty (ear reshaping) – As we mentioned above, ears begin to sag once the cartilage starts to weaken and break down. For many men, this is something they can live with, but for others, it is something that needs correction. The holes left by the hip pierced ears of your youth may cause your earlobes to hang extremely low as time passes, especially if you wore gauges in your ears to stretch the lobes. Otoplasty can address these problems, and any other cosmetic ear issue you might have.

Gynecomastia – Also known as male breasts, gynecomastia can affect men and boys of any age, and is marked by an increase in breast tissue in one or both breasts. Gynecomastia is caused by imbalances in your hormone levels – if there is an increase in estrogen (a female hormone) and a decrease in testosterone (a male hormone), the body gets confused and begins to store fat in the chest area. Boys may experience gynecomastia as they endure the wildly fluctuating hormones of puberty, but it usually isn’t permanent once the hormones naturally balance themselves. Men usually experience gynecomastia anytime after age 50, as their testosterone levels begin to decrease, causing an imbalance once again. There are also outside factors than can cause gynecomastia, including use of anabolic steroids, antiandrogens, antibiotics and a variety of other medications. No matter the cause, it can be a real blow to your self-esteem, and it’s not something you have to just accept. Male breast reduction surgery is the 3rd most popular plastic surgery procedure, as men discover that they can once again show off a masculine chest.

CoolSculpting – Unfortunately, many of our body processes slow down with age, and metabolism is one of the most noticeable. You may not have changed your diet or exercise routine, but you’re beginning to see some extra flab around your middle that wasn’t there before. It’s not serious enough to require liposuction, so it might be time to explore CoolSculpting. CoolSculpting is a non-invasive procedure that uses precision cooling technology to freeze unwanted fat cells, which then die and are safely processed by the body, resulting in permanent fat loss. Depending on your needs, you may require multiple sessions, but CoolSculpting is a quick procedure and requires no downtime. Dr. Vasisht can let you know how many sessions you might need in order to produce the best results.

Men, don’t take the ravages of age lying down! At South Shore Plastic Surgery, we can address all of your cosmetic needs. Call us today at (856) 322-8100 to schedule an appointment for a consultation with Dr. Vasisht, and let us restore your self-confidence and youthful vigor.